Defending, Celebrating & Restoring America's Waterways

News Release

Washington, D.C.—More than 800,000 Americans and 250 small businesses support restoring Clean Water Act protections to all of the nation’s rivers and streams, Environment America said on the eve of a key deadline to submit comments.

“Our waters are where we fish, boat, and swim,” said Ally Fields, Clean Water Advocate for Environment America. “This show of public support is just one more reason we should be doing everything we can to protect our rivers and streams.”

Outdoor outfitters, river guides, brewers, and restaurants from Oregon to Florida were among the hundreds of businesses who voiced their support for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule, which will protect drinking water supplies for more than 117 million Americans.

“The health of our iconic waterways and stewardship of America’s water resources are integral to our economic success as well as our quality of life,” said the businesses in a letter to be delivered to EPA officials tomorrow. “By restoring the Clean Water Act, your administration will help ensure that our communities are healthy and our local economies are strong.”

More than half of the nation’s streams and 20 million acres of wetlands lack guaranteed protections under federal law, thanks to a loophole created by a pair of polluter-driven Supreme Court decisions nearly a decade ago. In March, EPA proposed a rule to close the loophole and restore protections for 2 million miles of small rivers and streams across the country. The public comment period for the rule closes tomorrow.

While a broad coalition of clean water advocates, farmers, mayors, and small businesses have lined up behind the proposal; agribusinesses, oil and gas companies, and other polluters affected by the rule have waged a bitter campaign against it.

Attempts to block the clean water protections are expected to be among the new Senate leadership’s to-do items. In October, Sen. Mitch McConnell and 23 other senators signed a letter opposing the rule, and the U.S. House has voted to block the rule multiple times.

“Americans want to see their waters protected, even if agribusinesses and the oil and gas companies don’t,” said Fields. “We’re urging all Senators to side with our rivers rather than the polluters, and we’re especially grateful to our champions who have stood up tirelessly against attacks on clean water.”

One such clean-water champion is Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who joined Environment America’s Connecticut affiliate at a news conference on Monday.

Over the last six months, Environment America canvassers from more than a dozen offices around the nation have done just that, holding face-to-face conversations with 400,000 people about the proposed EPA rule and gathering more than 200,000 public comments.

Washington, DC. – On the heels of the 42nd anniversary of the Clean Water Act, a new report tells the story of how the bedrock environmental law has helped to restore and protect the Anacostia by reducing the amount of trash disposed of in the river.

Environment America, Anacostia Watershed Society, and the Environmental Protection Agency released Waterways Restored, a series of case studies compiled by Environment America Research & Policy Center, on the banks of the Anacostia River to highlight the need for a new rule to restore protections for over half of our nation’s streams 20 million acres of wetlands

“The Clean Water Act has brought progress to the Anacostia River, but the law’s promise isn’t yet fulfilled,” said Jessie Mehrhoff, organizer with Environment America. “All of our rivers and streams deserve a success story.”

Known as the “forgotten river” in the D.C. region compared with the higher-profile Potomac, the Anacostia River has suffered from horrific pollution for decades. Now action required by the Clean Water Act is reducing dumping of trash into the river, leading some to hope that it can be made safe for fishing and swimming in little more than a decade, according to Environment America Research & Policy Center Report.

“When Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972, it didn’t just protect rivers like the Anacostia and the Potomac from pollution; it also protected the smaller streams and wetlands that flow into our rivers and lakes,” said EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “The law recognized that to have healthy communities downstream, we need healthy headwaters upstream.”

While the Anacostia River is guaranteed protection under the Clean Water Act, too many of America’s rivers and streams are not, due to a loophole in the law secured by developers and other polluters nearly a decade ago.

In March, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed a rule to restore protections for the headwaters, streams, and wetlands left in limbo by the loophole. But oil companies, agribusinesses, and developers are campaigning bitterly against it, and last month the U.S. House voted to block the rule.

Advocates at today’s event, however, stressed broad support for the proposal from environmental groups, farmers, small businesses, and ordinary citizens. Tomorrow, more than 500,000 public comments supporting the rule will be delivered to EPA officials in Washington, D.C.

“The Anacostia River is on a pathway to become one of America’s great urban river success stories. It’s been a long and challenging effort that has taken 25 years and will take another 10 years to become the special urban place our residents and communities deserve. We could never have brought it back without the Clean Water Act. It has been the driving legal force that has brought results,” said Dan Smith, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at the Anacostia Watershed Society.

While the Anacostia River is getting cleaner, polluters still dump about 206 million of toxic chemicals into waterways nationwide each year. Protection from pollution and development for the smaller streams that flow into the Anacostia River, advocates said today, is crucial to restoring the river for future generations.

“The only way to continue the Anacostia on the path to success is to protect all the rivers and streams that flow into it,” said Mehrhoff. “That’s why it’s so important for EPA to restore protections for all the waters that crisscross our nation.”

Washington, DC — Two million miles of rivers and streams across the country could remain vulnerable to development and pollution, under a bill that won approval today by the U.S. House of Representatives. The waters affected help provide drinking water to 117 million Americans.

The vote followed several high-profile cases of water contamination this summer, from the toxic algae bloom that contaminated the drinking water for nearly half a million people in Toledo, to one of the largest dead zones on record in the Chesapeake Bay.

“We should be doing everything we can to protect our rivers and streams,” said John Rumpler, Senior Attorney with Environment America. “Yet the polluters and their allies in Congress are doing everything they can to put our waters in jeopardy.”

The bill, HR 5078, would bar the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from restoring protections of the Clean Water Act to more than half of the nation’s rivers and streams, left in limbo for nearly a decade after a pair of Supreme Court decisions created a loophole in the law.

In March, EPA proposed a rule to close this loophole, again safeguarding under federal law the nation’s smaller headwaters and streams along with 20 million acres of wetlands.

A broad coalition of clean water advocates, farmers, mayors, small businesses, and hundreds of thousands of Americans have heralded the EPA move. But agribusinesses, oil and gas companies, and other polluters have waged a bitter campaign against the rule.

“Instead of siding with our rivers and the Americans who love to fish, boat and swim in them,” said Rumpler, “today Congress is siding with the polluters.”

The attack blocks the proposed rule and anything that might resemble it, and delays any effort to clarify the scope of the Clean Water Act for up to two years. The White House has threatened to veto the measure, whose prospects are less certain in the Senate.

More than 160,000 Americans and hundreds of other stakeholders have already written in favor of the rule, which is open for public comment through the fall.

“People from all walks of life want to see their rivers, lakes, and streams safeguarded,” said Rumpler. “Kudos to the White House for rebuking this irresponsible assault on our waters. We urge the Senate to reject the House’s dangerous proposal.”

New York, NY–From the Hudson River, to the Great Lakes, to San Francisco Bay, waterways across the country draw tens of millions of visitors each year, according to Environment America’s new state-by-state Summer Fun Index. The new fact sheets come as summer draws to close, and as officials consider a new rule to restore protections for more than half of the nation’s rivers and streams.

“From touring Niagara Falls, to fishing in one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes, to sailing in San Francisco Bay, we all know clean water means summer fun,” said John Rumpler, Clean Water Program Director with Environment America. “Our new Summer Fun Index shows just how important it is to protect all our waters.”

To get a snapshot of how Americans use and enjoy their waterways, Environment America compiled stats from nine different states on everything from summer camps with rivers and lakes to fishing and boat licenses. The organization’s research found a whopping 9 million fishing licenses and more than 127 million visitors to state parks that feature waterways.

Despite their popularity, 2 million miles of rivers and streams and 20 million acres of wetlands across the country are not guaranteed protection under the nation’s Clean Water Act, thanks to a loophole in the law secured by developers and other polluters nearly a decade ago.

In March, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed a rule to restore protections for the headwaters, streams, and wetlands left in limbo by the loophole. But agribusinesses, oil companies, and their champions in Congress others are campaigning heavily against it. Next week the U.S. House of Representatives plans to vote on a bill, HR 5078, that would block the rule.

EPA is taking public comments on the measure through the fall. Already, Environment America has gathered 160,000 public comments in favor of restoring Clean Water Act protections to all of the nation’s waters. Environment America pointed to the stats on how much people use and enjoy waterways across the country as further support for EPA’s proposed rule.

“Whether we enjoy them for fishing, boating, or swimming, we all have a stake in the health of our waterways,” said Rumpler. “We should be doing everything we can to protect all of our rivers, lakes and streams.”

WASHINGTON, DC – From the Chesapeake Bay to the Great Lakes to the Puget Sound, industrial facilities dumped more than 206 million pounds of toxic chemicals into America’s waterways in 2012, according to a new report by Environment America Research and Policy Center. The “Wasting Our Waterways” report comes as the Environmental Protection Agency considers a new rule to restore Clean Water Act protections to 2 million miles of critical waterways across the nation – a move bitterly opposed by the lobbyists for corporate agribusiness, including the American Farm Bureau.

“America’s waterways should be clean – for swimming, drinking, and supporting wildlife,” said Ally Fields, clean water advocate with Environment America Research and Policy Center. “But too often, our waters have become a dumping ground for polluters. The first step to curb this tide of toxic pollution is to restore Clean Water Act protections to all our waterways.”

Based on data submitted by polluting facilities themselves, the group’s report uses information from the EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory for 2012, the most recent data available. Major findings of the report include:

Our nation’s iconic waterways are still threatened by toxic pollution – with polluters discharging huge volumes of chemicals into the watersheds of the Great Lakes (8.39 million pounds), the Chesapeake Bay (3.23 million pounds), the Upper Mississippi River (16.9 million pounds), and the Puget Sound (578,000 pounds) among other beloved waterways.

Tyson Foods Inc. is the parent-company reporting dumping the largest discharge of toxic chemicals into our waterways, with a total of 18,556,479 lbs – 9 percent of the nationwide total of toxic discharges. Of the top ten parent-companies by total pounds of toxics released, four are corporate agribusiness companies (Tyson Inc., Cargill Inc., Perdue Farms Inc, and Pilgrims Pride Corp.).

Corporate agribusiness facilities, the report also finds, were responsible for approximately one-third of all direct discharges of nitrates to our waterways, which can cause health problems in infants and contribute to “dead zones” in our waters. For example, pollution in the Mississippi River watershed has contributed to the massive dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.

Of the several steps needed to curb this tide of toxic pollution, Environment America Research and Policy Center is highlighting one piece of the solution that could become a reality this year: The EPA’s proposed rule to restore Clean Water Act protections to more than 2 million miles of streams and millions of acres of wetlands across the country.

As a result of court cases brought by polluters, more than half of America’s streams and the drinking water for 117 million Americans are now at risk of having no protection from pollution under the federal Clean Water Act. Following years of advocacy by Environment America Research and Policy Center’s and its allies, this spring, the EPA finally proposed a rule to close the loopholes that have left America’s waterways and risk and restore Clean Water Act protections.

“It’s high time that we restore protections for the drinking water for 1 in 3 Americans,” said Fields. “That’s why today we are releasing this report and running an ad in Politico as part of a broad effort to educate the public and engage elected officials to weigh in with the Obama administration in support of its Clean Water Act rulemaking.”

But corporate agribusiness is vigorously opposing these critical clean water protections.

“Looking at the data from our report today, you can see why polluters might oppose any efforts to better protect our waters,” said Ally Fields. “That’s why we are working with farmers, small businesses, and hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans to make sure our voices for clean water are heard in Washington, D.C. The future of the waterways we love – from the Chesapeake Bay to the Colorado River – hangs in the balance.”

The public comment period on the clean water rule began the day before Earth Day, and it is open through October 20.

“America’s waterways shouldn’t be a polluter’s dumping ground,” said Fields. “If we want our waterways to be clean for future generations to enjoy, we must restore Clean Water Act protections to our waterways now.”

Industrial facilities dumped 232 million pounds of toxic chemicals into America’s waterways, according to a report released today by Environment America Research & Policy Center: “Wasting Our Waterways: Industrial Toxic Pollution and the Unfulfilled Promise of the Clean Water Act”. The report also finds that toxic chemicals were discharged in 1,900 waterways across all 50 states.

“While nearly half of the rivers and lakes in the U.S. are considered too polluted for safe fishing or swimming, our report shows that polluters continue to use our waterways as dumping grounds for their toxic chemicals,” said Piper Crowell, Clean Water Advocate for Environment America.

“On October 15, our Committee held a hearing to examine how the deterioration of the EPA’s Clean Water Act enforcement program has set back our progress in achieving the central goals of the Clean Water Act,” said Rep. James L. Oberstar (Minn.), Chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. “Today, we learned of the very frightening, tangible impacts on human health and the environment that occur when toxic substances are allowed to enter our waters. The fact that many industrial facilities are exploiting the system and using the nation’s waterways as toxic dumping grounds is nothing less than a public health crisis.”

The Environment America report documents and analyzes the dangerous levels of pollutants discharged in to America’s waters by compiling toxic chemical releases reported to the U.S. EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory for 2007, the most recent data available.

Major findings of the report include:

Indiana topped the nation with over 27 million pounds of toxic chemicals dumped into the state’s waterways in 2007.

ExxonMobil Refining & Supply Baton Rouge Refinery released over 4.2 million pounds of toxic chemical waste into the Mississippi River in Louisiana. The ExxonMobil refinery was one of the largest reported polluter of toxic chemicals in the country in 2007.

The top three waterways in the nation for most total toxic chemicals discharged in 2007 were the Ohio River, New River, and Mississippi River. The Ohio River also topped the nation for toxic chemicals that are cancer causing and chemicals that cause reproductive disorders. The Alabama River had the highest amount of toxic chemicals causing developmental disorders in the nation in 2007.

“Our waterways are a source of sport and recreation. We need them protected, not polluted,” said Gary Botzek, the Executive Director of the Minnesota Conservation Federation.

Environment America’s report summarizes the discharge of cancer-causing chemicals, chemicals that persist in the environment, and chemicals with the potential to cause reproductive problems ranging from birth defects to reduced fertility. Among the toxic chemicals discharged by facilities are lead, mercury, and dioxin. When dumped into waterways, these toxic chemicals contaminate drinking water and are absorbed by the fish that people eventually eat. Exposure to these chemicals is linked to cancer, developmental disorders, and reproductive disorders. In 2007, manufacturing facilities discharged approximately 1.5 million pounds of cancer-causing chemicals into American waters.

“There are common-sense steps that should be taken to turn the tide against toxic pollution of our waters,” added Crowell. “We need clean water now, and we need the federal government to act to protect our health and our environment.”

In order to curb the toxic pollution threatening America’s waterways, Environment America recommends the following:

Pollution Prevention: Industrial facilities should reduce their toxic discharges in to waterways by switching from hazardous chemicals to safer alternatives.

Tough permitting and enforcement: EPA and state agencies should issue permits with tough, numeric limits for each type of toxic pollution discharged, ratchet down those limits over time, and enforce those limits with credible penalties, not just warning letters.

Protect all waters: The federal government should adopt policies to clarify that the Clean Water Act applies to all of our waterways. This includes the thousands of headwaters and small streams for which jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act has been called into question, as a result of recent court decisions.

“This Wasting our Waterways report is a reminder that we have a long way to go to realize the “zero pollution” goals of the Clean Water Act and that we not only need to defend and strengthen this important law but focus our efforts on prevention,” said Lynn Thorp, National Campaigns Coordinator, Clean Water Action.

“We urge Congress and the President to listen to the public’s demands for clean water. They should act to protect all of our lakes, rivers and streams from toxic pollution,” concluded Crowell.